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# vicuna

noun (a vicuna, vicunas; also spelt vicuña)

«vicuna» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A vicuna is a wild South American animal related to the llama and alpaca; it is small, slim and light brown, and lives high in the Andes mountains. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/vicuna/#m1)
2. Vicuna also means the very fine, soft, expensive wool or cloth made from this animal's fleece. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/vicuna/#m2)

### In the lessons

In geography and science lessons on South America and mountain animals, the vicuna shows adaptation to cold and thin air. In history, the Inca protected vicunas; later they were hunted nearly to extinction for wool, and now they are protected again. Phrases: «vicuna wool», «herds of vicunas».

### Examples

- A herd of vicunas grazed on the high, cold grassland. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/vicuna/#x1)
- The vicuna is a wild cousin of the llama. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/vicuna/#x2)
- Vicuna wool is one of the softest and most expensive wools in the world. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/vicuna/#x3)
- The vicuna is the national animal of Peru and is on its coat of arms. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/vicuna/#x4)
- Vicunas have thick, soft coats to keep warm in the Andes. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/vicuna/#x5)
- Hunting nearly wiped out the vicuna, but now it is protected. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/vicuna/#x6)

### Note

Plural: vicunas. Spanish spelling: vicuña (say «vi-KOON-ya»); English often writes it without the wavy line. Do not confuse with the llama and alpaca (tame) or the guanaco (wild, bigger).

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «vicuna» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/vicuna/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«vicuna» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/vicuna.html) on Mova free.